Tempest And Merendino

The journey of discovery is generically defined by a precess of binary resolution; where by a protagonist is confronted, their views are challenged, and an entirely new ideology is formed while the previous is abandoned. However through the study of the play "The Tempest" by William Shakespeare, and the film "SLC Punk" directed by James Merendino, one can uncover the truer meaning behind a sense of discovery; that all ideologies are not abandoned by a process of discovery, but stimulated and enlightened in order for these ways of thinking to be constantly challenged and affirmed. Thus, ideologies are never disregarded, rather reshaped and re-contextualised to further enrich and redefine the individual. This thesis is seen throughout either
The placement of characters into an entirely new and challenging situation is key evidence of this. Initially this is seen in the description of the setting and the nature of the arrival of the main characters. The use of a storm, or tempest, as pathetic fallacy to illustrate trouble or conflict between characters. This is seen specifically in Boatswain's challenging of authority under the pressure of the storm. Despite being of a lower social class, he orders Gonzalo to be "Out of our way" and "Work you then". These commands towards a higher up foreshadow the discovery of different power structures and hierarchies. While Boatswain takes charge, others cower in the face of change and the impending discoveries they make. Gonzalo's description of the island as "a desolate isle" reinforces the role of inertia when coming to new discoveries. The strong pull of resistance is evident in this reluctancy to embrace his new surroundings and this nature eventually manifests itself into discoveries as the island and its inhabitants force change upon Gonzalo and the others. Furthermore, the island symbolises a crossroads where the
From the beginning of the film, Merendino places a spotlight on conflicting situations and people, placing Stevo, the protagonist, a hedonistic anarchist punk, within the confines of ultra-conservative Utah during the late 1980s. This very easily sparks an initial and ongoing conflict throughout the film. Stevo's loud and boisterous manner feuds with the surrounding rhetoric of strict American orthodoxy, and causes a constantly critical nature within him. Merendino reflects this through the use of narration and soliloquy as a vehicle for Stevo to express his ongoing thoughts of his surroundings. This is expanded on through the film, as the narration turns to a sort of visual essay, where Stevo, via "breaking the fourth wall", can illustrate the challenging nature of his surroundings. In a party scene, Stevo breaks away from the principle scene in order to explain why punks fight, and through this visual essay, the audience sees the beginning of his redefining of his ideologies. Stevo begins his essay by detailing the nature of fighting, however quickly comes to the realisation that the very construct of fighting an "other" was inherently against his values as an anarchist. "When we fight it appears to be chaos and I believe in chaos...but when